


Healer

by queenseamoose



Series: Star-Blessed [4]
Category: Elder Scrolls
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Head Injury, Mild Blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-06-27
Packaged: 2018-07-18 12:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7315603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenseamoose/pseuds/queenseamoose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Taking care of the other while sick</p>
<p>Serana steps in when there's an accident at Severin Manor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Healer

Serana’s days had fallen into a pattern, a comfortable rhythm that was a welcome change from the turmoil that had made up most of her long life. There was little that disturbed that pattern these days, and she had no complaints about that—so she was surprised (and mildly annoyed) when there was a knock at the door one morning.

She had just been removing a potion from the calcinator, and she let out a sigh as she carefully set aside the steaming brew and headed upstairs, wiping her hands on her apron. She wrinkled her nose as she opened the door to a rush of ash and snowflakes, but frowned as she saw the nervous-looking Dunmer standing there.

“Can I help you?” She raised an eyebrow, and the Dunmer uncomfortably shuffled his feet.

“Ah—yes, Miss…ah, Lady Serana.” He wasn’t meeting her eyes, and she vaguely wondered if it was because of a fear of vampires—or a fear of Mina. The yellow trim of his hood identified him as a member of House Hlaalu, and she knew only too well the fear their leader could inspire with merely a glance. “There’s, ah…there’s been a bit of an…incident.”

If Serana’s heart still beat, it would have stopped right then and there. “Is Mina all right?” she asked quickly. His rush to reassure her didn’t do much to ease the tension.

“Oh yes, the Grandmaster’s fine. It’s just…it’s about the lamps, you see.”

“The what, now?” Serana folded her arms over her chest with a frown, and the Dunmer sighed.

“The Grandmaster insisted we switch them out. She said she’d walk straight into Oblivion before she allowed anything other than Hlaalu craftsmanship on Hlaalu property. Anyhow, it’s not my fault, I told her we should wait for the others, but she wanted it done first thing, and—”

“I’m sorry,” Serana interrupted. “But what does this have to do with me?”

The Dunmer’s expression turned guilty. “Well…I was on a ladder, you see, and those Nord lamps are heavy, and, well—I _may_ have dropped it by mistake. Don’t worry about the Grandmaster, she’s perfectly fine,” he added quickly, “but she _did_ take a nasty blow to the head. I offered to send for a healer, but she refused.” He met her gaze for the first time, his expression mournful and beseeching. “We were wondering if, ah, perhaps a rest might find her in…better spirits?”

Suddenly it all made sense. Mina was in pain—and inadvertently taking her misery out on the other members of her house in her attempts to power through. Serana briefly closed her eyes, letting out a silent groan. “Head back to the manor,” she instructed. “I’ll be along shortly to take care of this. And…” She paused. “It may be best not to mention this to the Grandmaster until I get there.” The Dunmer nodded gratefully before scurrying off back in the direction of town, and Serana shut the door behind him, checking on her potion once more before gathering her boots and cloak and heading out the door.

The bantam guars clustered around her feet as she crossed the yard, but she absentmindedly shooed them away as she headed for the path along the shore towards town. She drew her hood closer to her face as the wind picked up, but she was grateful for the storm. She couldn’t remember the last time she was outdoors during daylight hours, and even though she’d recently fed, she could still feel a faint hint of that uneasy illness, even with the sun hidden behind countless layers of clouds and ash.

As she reached the outskirts of town, though, she found another reason to appreciate the current weather—everyone else milling about in the streets also wore their hoods tightly wrapped around their faces. She didn’t often venture into Raven Rock, but when she did, she was nearly always the object of suspicious stares, thanks to her Nord features—and her glowing orange eyes. It was never enough to make her feel unsafe—simply uncomfortable—but nonetheless, she breathed a sigh of relief when Severin Manor’s front door shut behind her.

She blinked in surprise at the cluster of figures huddled in the entryway, but the audible sighs of relief as they caught sight of her made it all make sense. One of them offered her a thin smile. “The Grandmaster is in her office,” she said pointedly, and Serana coughed to disguise her chuckle. Despite her concern for Mina, she could only imagine the hell that had been unleashed. Mina never did handle pain well, despite her best efforts.

“Thank you for sending for me,” she said instead, and the others nodded earnestly as she descended the stairs into the heart of the manor.

Downstairs, it was surprisingly vacant, and she once again quietly snickered to herself. Heading straight for Mina’s office, she paused in the doorway at the sight before her. Mina had apparently fallen asleep, her head resting on her arms and her white curls fanned out across the surface of her desk. But she immediately picked up on the scent of blood, and her stomach turned over on itself at the sight of the dark stain in Mina’s hair. Steeling herself, she crossed the room and lightly jostled Mina’s shoulder.

She gave a grunt of surprise, her body giving a quick jerk as she sat upright. “What?” she snarled, but her expression shifted into one of surpise as she caught sight of who had awakened her. “Serana?” Her voice was raspier than usual, and she absently lifted a hand to her head. “What’s wrong, what are you doing here?”

“You’re really asking me that?” Serana reached out to shift Mina’s hair out of the way, but Mina swatted her hand away.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine,” she snapped.

“There’s _a lot_ of blood.” Serana said firmly, planting her hands on her hips. “Go see a healer, or come home and let me take care of it. Either way, you’re not staying here.”

Mina hesitated, glancing at her desk. “I have so much work to do,” she grumbled, and Serana sighed as she picked up Mina’s cloak from where it had been discarded on a nearby chair.

“Come on, Grandmaster,” she said, draping it across Mina’s shoulders. “You were drooling on a letter to Councilor Morvayn. And you’re scaring half your house.”

Mina shot her a glare as she lurched to her feet. “I hate you,” she muttered, and Serana smirked.

“I know. Now let’s get you home.”

* * *

The walk home was slower than the one into town, with Mina stumbling alongside her, sometimes grasping onto her arm for balance. When they stepped through the doorway, Mina immediately headed for the bedroom, pausing only to kick off her boots. Serana followed close behind, bracing herself in preparation to catch her if she lost her balance on the stairs. They made it up without incident, however, and Mina immediately sagged down onto the bed.

After retrieving the pitcher of water and a cloth from the washstand, Serana settled beside her, parting strands of silvery hair to get a better view of gash on her scalp. “Ow,” Mina grumbled sourly, and Serana rolled her eyes.

“Stop being such a baby.” Serana carefully dabbed at crusted blood, the water in the pitcher turning pink as she rinsed out the cloth. “Does that hurt?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know,” Mina groaned. “Are you done yet?”

“Almost.” Serana paused, mentally rehearsing the spell, and then with a silent incantation, she watched as the wound closed up, leaving only a faint shimmer of a scar. “There. Hard part’s over.”

She stood, sweeping back the covers and motioning for Mina to crawl beneath them. “You still need to rest though,” she instructed, fluffing pillows behind her head. “You’ll probably still feel disoriented for a few days. Get some sleep, and I’ll try another spell later if it doesn’t get any better.”

She turned to head downstairs, but was stopped as Mina suddenly grabbed her hand. “Thank you.” She still wore her scowl, but the corners of her mouth flared up slightly as she squeezed her hand just a little tighter.

Serana couldn’t help but smile. “Get some sleep,” she instructed, smoothing a stray curl behind her ear. “I’ll bring bring you some…soup later?”

This time, Mina cracked a genuine smile. “Yes. Soup is good,” she said, leaning her head back against the pillows, her eyes closing wearily.

Serana stood, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “I love you, Mina Dreth.” And as she tiptoed toward the stairs, she heard Mina’s sleepy voice behind her.

“I love you, too, Serana.”


End file.
